Never Never Land
by Koholos
Summary: 5 years after she left, Haruko returns to find Naota dating Ninamori. Who will finally win him? (Participated in: Onigiri Forums First Fanfic Contest)


Well, I did this for another contest. I actually thought I could have gone a lot longer on it, weaved in some more plot in the middle, but sadly, I only had a few hours to do it, so it didn't turn out quite the way I'd hoped. Still, all told, I liked it.

**Disclaimer: **_Naota, Ninamori, Haruko, and Mamimi are not mine, though the barkeep is. Where the story differs from the original in any way, the original is correct._

Never Never Land

It was late in the evening as the barkeep looked around his empty bar. The place had emptied early for a change, everyone rushing home before the first snowfall of the year. Outside, the snow was already starting to slowly spiral down, and he watched the street lights come on, illuminating the sidewalk, and a lone man who slowed near the bar, then stopped and turned in.

The barkeep eyed the man, who was much younger than he'd first thought. He wore a light blue vest with a yellow headband, a style that had become popular in the last decade or so.

"What can I get you, boy?"

The man looked up at him. "I don't know."

The bartender got a tight frown on his face. "That looks like the face of a man who's been unlucky in love." He bent down and poured a strong drink, then set it on the table. "Why don't you tell me all about it?"

"I'm sure it won't be like anything you've heard before."

"I've heard just about every story out there."

The man sighed. "All right" He took a shot of the drink. "It all started a couple years ago. This girl named Haruko ran into me, and then later she became my housemaid. She told me she was an alien."

"Well, was she?" the bartender joked.

"Yeah." The man smiled at the bartender's shocked look. "She was. And then, when her mission was complete, she left Earth on her motorcycle. There were two other girls, too. One was named Mamimi, and she had been going out with my older brother, until he left for the US. Then she started to follow me around."

"And what happened to her?"

"Well, eventually she left for the US, too, I think. I never saw her again after Haruko left, at any rate."

"And the other one?"

"She was named Ninamori. After Mamimi and Haruko left, she and I were the only ones who remembered the incidents when they'd been there. Everyone else seemed to have forgotten. I suppose it was the fact that she, too, had had a robot come out of her head."

The barkeep's jaw dropped a little further. "I see. So, then what happened?"

"Well, after a while, we started dating. It went well. She was a nice girl, and since our experiences, we'd been really close, so it was logical. It would have gone fine, but then _she_ showed up..."

Naota stood, looking up at the sky. It was a good night, the moon was large in the sky, the traffic zoomed by quietly, and he had a lovely girl beside him. He turned to talk to her, but just then he heard the sound of a motorbike, very near. It sounded vaguely familiar, somehow.

"Hey, Naota. Did you hear that?"

"Yeah." He turned to look in the direction the sound came from, and got himself clotheslined by the body of a guitar. He slammed backwards onto the ground. He lay there for a moment, rubbing his neck. Finally, he sat up. "Damn it, Haruko." he started, before he realized she wasn't even there, that the person on the motorbike couldn't be...

Haruko sat in front of him. "He's not dead! Banzai! Banzai!" She waved her arms crazily, and did an odd dance while seated.

"No thanks to you." He got to his feet. "What are you doing here, anyway?"

Haruko smiled. "I've come to get you!"

Naota spluttered. "Get me? What do you mean?"

"Well, you see," her hands traced convoluted patterns in the air as she talked. "I went chasing after Atomsk, right? Well, as I was chasing him, I was wondering why he was hiding in you, and then I realized you must have something special about you, too. So I was, of course, forced to report it to the Body, and they thought it over for a couple weeks, and then they sent me back here to find you, and soo... here I am!" She stopped for a moment, looking at Naota strangely.

"What?"

"You're... taller than you were."

"Huh?" He looked at Ninamori in confusion, hoping she could offer some help. She just looked annoyed at the interruption. "Look, Haruko, it's nice of you to come back and all, but Ninamori and I, we're..."

Haruko turned to the other girl then. "Miss Ninamori." Her face took on a mocking look, as if she was straining to be serious. "It is an absolute pleasure to make your acquaintence. I'm an old friend of Naota's and..."

"I know who you are." She massaged her head, as if it were in pain. "You're his old 'maid'. The one with the weird TV, and the things that came out of people's heads. But Naota and I were on a date, so if you'll excuse us."

Haruko looked at Naota slyly. "You little devil. A young man like you and already a ladies' man?"

"Young? Umm... Haruko, I'm already 18."

"18?" Haruko started counting on her fingers, muttering under her breath. "The run.. massi... year... terriyaki..." She stopped and turned back. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure." He turned and started to walk away. "Come on, Ninamori."

"Wait, Naota." Haruko stretched out her hand as they walked away, but Naota just kept going. She sank to her knees, in tears.

"So, you just left her? Why?"

"Well, I had no room for a person from my past who couldn't grow up. I mean, she hadn't aged at all, and she was trying to take me away from Ninamori. I knew I'd loved her at one point, and I didn't want to fall back to that again."

"But?"

"Well, unfortunately, I couldn't stop thinking about her, wondering why she'd not aged, whether she'd just come to take me back because she had to, or if there was more to it. It drove Ninamori crazy, and she finally dumped me." He sighed. "And by that point, Haruko had already left. So, I never saw either of them again."

"So, you really did love Haruko then?"

"Yeah, I did." He sighed. "I guess I did"

"Well," said the barkeep, with a smile on his face, "you know what they say about the first snow, right?"

"No. What?"

"They say, that if you go wait out by the old iron, as the first snow falls, your true love will meet you there."

Naota blinked in surprise. "Thanks." He threw some money out on the counter and ran as fast as he could out the door and towards the iron. The barkeep watched him, and smiled.

Naota gazed up at the snow as it fell. It was a very peaceful feeling, watching the cold, soft flakes dart in the wind, catching the light as they danced, making sparkles seem to flutter across them. He looked out as the darkness seemed to get deeper and deeper, until suddenly, he saw a sillhouette walking towards him under a streetlight's glow.

As it came closer, he realized the person had a motorbike with them. "Haruko?"

The figure paused in the light, and removed their helmet. The hair, in the streetlight was indeed pink. Naota came running. "Haruko?"

"Yeah. I just came to see the old place one last time before I left for good. I didn't expect to find you here, though."

"Haruko." He paused. "I'm... I'm sorry. I really want you to take me with you."

Her eyes smiled down at him. "You really are just a kid. Did you think I wanted to take you back because I loved you or something?"

He stopped, looked up at the iron, remembering everything he'd gone through, with her, with Ninamori, with Mamimi. Remembered their fight on the top of this very iron, while he was channeling Atomsk. Remembered that... "As long as I'm with you, everything will be fine."

"Huh?" Her face contorted in shock.

"I don't know why you came to get me. I don't know if you're only going to bring me back to use as bait for Atomsk again. I don't know anymore. But it doesn't matter. As long as I'm with you, I know that everything will be all right."

She smiled for a long time, then nodded. "All right, Ta-kun. Sit down." He climbed onto the bike, and she climbed on behind, wrapping her arms around him. He twisted the handle, following the instructions she whispered in his ear. The bike rumbled for a moment, and then slowly lifted into the air.

"So, Haruko, how do we get to your planet?"

"It's simple, Ta-kun. See that star there? Just find the second star to the left, and follow it straight on till morning."


End file.
